MYSTERY SHOPPING AND MARKETING RESEARCH

           Mystery shopping and marketing research are being used for the past couple of years by many firms in various industries and these tools help businesses and organizations to operate more successfully. These investigation tools have different names but they are similar and identical in nature as they deal with the same concept of measuring customer satisfaction. Mystery shopping and marketing research vary based on the nature of objectives to be achieved, nature of field work, process to be followed during the investigation.

           Mystery shopping is an age-old research technique that uses ghost shoppers who are given guidelines to anonymously assess and monitor client provision, procedures, employee honesty, promotion, and merchandise excellence. This tool is used to gather information and observe conversation between the store keeper and the customer. Dawson, J. & Hillier, J. (1995), [9] says that, both these tools have unique difference and they differ from each other. Jankalova (2011), [10] says that, there are certain guidelines which have to be followed when using both the tools.

Ø  Mystery shoppers should strictly follow the guidelines specified by the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association (MSPA). Based on the guidelines they have to follow each and every task in the mystery shopping program. But in case of marketing research there are not specified set of guidelines, the market researchers can follow up the marketing research audit in the way they need it.

Ø  Marketing research is more concerned with collection of data, arrangement of data, analysis of data, and finally drawing inference from the analyzed results to frame strong strategies or to take a management decision. But with regard to mystery shopping, observation is given prime importance. Ghost shoppers should make keen observations on every single thing they deal with.

Ø  Marketing research collects general data or information on the entire organization and its related activities using marketing research agents. But in case of mystery shopping attention is given to one aspect alone. For example if the firm wants to know the behaviour of the sales representatives a special and individual ghost shopping assignment is conducted to watch and observe only the activities of a sales representative. Apart from this various other dimensions are monitored.

Ø  Marketing research deals with systematic process of collecting general feedback from the customers using a structured questionnaire or an by developing a conversation with them but in case of mystery shopping, the ghost shoppers are requested to observe and record the same into written records.

Ø  Mystery shopping accounts on exact appointments or calls. Each assessment can be used self-sufficiently to make developments with regard to the overall business or to streamline the employee behaviour. Marketing researchers can reveal their originality to the exterior world but unidentified shoppers have to last as a mystery due to data safety act.